Vehicle control device

ABSTRACT

A vehicle control device configured to perform transmission of a drive signal for driving an antenna and reception of a detection signal from a sensor detection unit configured to detect a user operation by common wire, and a controller configured to control the antenna driving unit to transmit the drive signal. The controller is configured to determine whether the determination process is being performed by the sensor detection signal determination unit each when the antenna driving unit transmits the drive signal. The controller is configured to cause the antenna driving unit to transmit the drive signal after the sensor detection signal determination unit finishes the determination process in a case where the controller determines that the determination process is being performed by the sensor detection signal determination unit.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-117817 filed onJun. 15, 2017 including the specification, drawings and abstract isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device installed ina vehicle.

2. Description of Related Art

A vehicle system in which an electronic key carried by a user and anin-vehicle device installed in a vehicle control the vehicle throughwireless communication is known. In the above-described vehicle system,the electronic key and the in-vehicle device transmit and receive apredetermined signal via an antenna and the in-vehicle deviceauthenticates the electronic key through a collation process or the likewith respect to predetermined identification information. The vehicle iscontrolled via predetermined operation input with respect to the vehicleafter the authentication of the electronic key.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2012-154118 (JP 2012-154118 A) discloses a vehicle system in which anin-vehicle device includes a door handle and a vehicle control devicethat is connected to the door handle such that the vehicle controldevice can control the door handle, the door handle being provided withan antenna that can transmit a predetermined signal and a sensor thatcan detect whether a finger or the like of a person comes into contactwith the door handle.

SUMMARY

In the vehicle system described in JP 2012-154118 A, a wire throughwhich a drive signal for driving the antenna is transmitted to the doorhandle from the vehicle control device and a wire through which thevehicle control device receives a detection signal from the door handleare the same wire, the detection signal being output based on contactdetection performed by the sensor.

However, according to the above-described configuration, the vehiclecontrol device cannot receive the detection signal from the door handlethrough the wire while the drive signal is being transmitted to the doorhandle from the vehicle control device. Therefore, when a timing atwhich the sensor detects a user operation (door lockingoperation/unlocking operation) and a timing at which the antenna isdriven overlap each other, the receiving of the detection signal by thevehicle control device is late so that a period of time between when theuser operation is performed and when a vehicle operation(locking/unlocking of vehicle door) is performed is lengthened.

That is, a device is configured not to process transmitting of the drivesignal to the antenna and reception of the detection signal from thesensor cannot at the same time, when the timing at which the sensordetects a user operation and the timing at which the antenna is drivenoverlap each other, the transmission of the drive signal and thereception of the detection signal collide with each other so that aperiod of time between when the user operation is performed and when thevehicle operation corresponding to the user operation is performed islengthened.

The disclosure provides a vehicle control device with which it ispossible to suppress a period of time between when a user operation isperformed and when a vehicle operation corresponding to the useroperation is performed being lengthened when a timing at which a sensordetects the user operation and a timing at which an antenna is drivenoverlap with each other.

A first aspect of the disclosure relates to a vehicle control deviceconnected to a vehicle device that includes an antenna and a sensordetection unit configured to detect a user operation, the vehiclecontrol device being configured to perform transmission of a drivesignal for driving the antenna and reception of a detection signaloutput from the sensor detection unit by a common wire. The vehiclecontrol device includes an antenna driving unit, a sensor detectionsignal determination unit, and a controller. The antenna driving unit isconfigured to control the antenna to transmit a radio signal bytransmitting the drive signal to the vehicle device. The sensordetection signal determination unit is configured to perform adetermination process of determining a vehicle operation correspondingto a detection signal received from the vehicle device. The controlleris configured to control the antenna driving unit to transmit the drivesignal. The controller is configured to determine whether thedetermination process is being performed by the sensor detection signaldetermination unit each when the antenna driving unit transmits thedrive signal. The controller is configured to control the antennadriving unit to transmit the drive signal when the controller determinesthat the determination process is not being performed by the sensordetection signal determination unit. The controller is configured tocontrol the antenna driving unit to transmit the drive signal after thesensor detection signal determination unit finishes the determinationprocess when the controller determines that the determination process isbeing performed by the sensor detection signal determination unit.

In the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment of thedisclosure, determination is made on whether the determination processof determining the vehicle operation corresponding to the detectionsignal output from the vehicle device is being performed or not eachwhen the antenna driving unit transmits the drive signal. Therefore, thevehicle control device determine whether reception of the detectionsignal from the sensor detection unit and transmission of the drivesignal to the antenna collide with each other. In the vehicle controldevice, when the determination process of determining the vehicleoperation corresponding to the detection signal is being performed,transmission of the drive signal is performed after the determinationprocess is finished.

With the above-described control, finishing the determination process inthe sensor detection signal determination unit is given priority evenwhen the timing of transmission of the drive signal that is performed bythe antenna driving unit is reached while the determination process ofdetermining the vehicle operation is being performed by the sensordetection signal determination unit. Therefore, the sensor detectionsignal determination unit can reliably determine the vehicle operationcorresponding to the detection signal. Accordingly, it is possible tosuppress a period of time between when a user operation is performed andwhen a vehicle operation corresponding to the user operation isperformed being lengthened according to a device configured to transmitthe drive signal and to receive the detection signal via the commonwire.

In the vehicle control device according to the first aspect of thedisclosure, the controller may be configured to temporarily stop theantenna driving unit to transmit the drive signal for performing thedetermination process and to give priority to reception of the detectionsignal from the sensor detection unit, when a process of transmittingthe drive signal from the antenna driving unit takes place while thecontroller receives the detection signal from the sensor detection unit.

A second aspect of the disclosure relates to a vehicle control deviceconnected to a vehicle device that includes an antenna and a sensordetection unit configured to detect a user operation, the vehiclecontrol device being configured to perform transmission of a pluralityof kinds of drive signals for driving the antenna and reception of adetection signal output from the sensor detection unit by using a commonwire. The vehicle control device includes an antenna driving unit, asensor detection signal determination unit, and a controller. Theantenna driving unit is configured to control the antenna to transmit aradio signal by transmitting the drive signals to the vehicle deviceaccording to a predetermined procedure. The sensor detection signaldetermination unit is configured to perform a determination process ofdetermining a vehicle operation corresponding to a detection signalreceived from the vehicle device. The controller is configured tocontrol the antenna driving unit such that two or more kinds of drivesignals among the drive signals are transmitted with a time intervalprovided between transmission of a drive signal that is transmittedimmediately before the two or more kinds of drive signals aretransmitted and transmission of the two or more kinds of drive signals,the time interval being equal to or longer than a time that is requiredfor the sensor detection signal determination unit to finish thedetermination process.

In the vehicle control device according to the second aspect of thedisclosure, control may be performed such that two or more kinds ofdrive signals among the drive signals are transmitted with a timeinterval provided between transmission of a drive signal that istransmitted to the vehicle device immediately before the two or morekinds of drive signals are transmitted and transmission of the two ormore kinds of drive signals, the time interval being equal to or longerthan a time that is needed for the sensor detection signal determinationunit to finish the determination process.

In the vehicle control device according to the second aspect of thedisclosure, the drive signals may include a first drive signal fortransmission of a first radio signal from the antenna, a second drivesignal for transmission of a second radio signal from the antenna afterreception of an affirmative response to the first radio signal, and athird drive signal for transmission of a third radio signal from theantenna after reception of an affirmative response to the second radiosignal. The controller may be configured to control the antenna drivingunit such that a time interval between transmission of the first drivesignal and transmission of the second drive signal and a time intervalbetween transmission of the second drive signal and transmission of thethird drive signal become equal to or longer than a time that isrequired for the sensor detection signal determination unit to finishthe determination process.

With the above-described control, a time interval between transmissionof one drive signal and transmission of the next drive signal can be setto be equal to or longer than a time that is required for the sensordetection signal determination unit to finish the determination processof determining the vehicle operation corresponding to the detectionsignal received by the sensor detection signal determination unit.Accordingly, even when reception of the first detection signal isinterrupted and fails since the reception overlaps with transmission ofthe drive signal, reception of the next detection signal is certainlysucceeded. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a period of timebetween when a user operation is performed and when a vehicle operationcorresponding to the user operation is performed being lengthenedaccording to the device configured to transmit the drive signal and toreceive the detection signal via the common wire.

In the vehicle control device according to any one of the aspects of thedisclosure, the sensor detection signal determination unit may beconfigured to receive a signal that is output when a sensor is touchedwith a finger of a person as the detection signal. In the vehiclecontrol device according to any one of the aspects of the disclosure,the sensor detection signal determination unit may be configured toreceive a signal corresponding to a vehicle door locking operation and asignal corresponding to a vehicle door unlocking operation as thedetection signal.

As described above, with the vehicle control device according to theaspects of the disclosure, it is possible to suppress a period of timebetween when a user operation is performed and when a vehicle operationcorresponding to the user operation is performed being lengthened when atiming at which a sensor detects the user operation and a timing atwhich an antenna is driven overlap with each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments will be described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like elements, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a vehicle system thatincludes a vehicle control device according to an aspect of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configurations of avehicle control device and a vehicle device according to a firstembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of communication control performed by the vehiclecontrol device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a timing chart of communication control performed in avehicle system in the related art;

FIG. 4B is a timing chart of the communication control performed by thevehicle control device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configurations of avehicle control device and a vehicle device according to a secondembodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of communication control performed by thevehicle control device according to the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Outline

An aspect of the disclosure relates to a vehicle control device thatperforms transmission of a drive signal for driving an antenna andreception of a detection signal, which is output when a sensor detects auser operation, by using the same wire. In the vehicle control device, adrive signal transmission timing is controlled such that a time periodbetween when a user operation is performed with respect to the sensorand when a vehicle operation corresponding to the user operation isperformed being lengthened is suppressed.

Outline of Vehicle System

FIG. 1 is a view for describing the outline of a vehicle system 1 thatincludes a vehicle control device 10 according to an embodiment or avehicle control device 20 according to an embodiment. The vehicle system1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is configured to include the vehicle controldevice 10 or the vehicle control device 20 installed in a vehicle 2, avehicle device 30 with which the vehicle 2 is equipped, and anelectronic key 3 that is carried by a user or the like.

The vehicle system 1 is a so-called smart entry system (also calledelectronic key system, wireless key system, keyless entry system, orlike) in which authentication is performed between the vehicle 2(in-vehicle device or like) and the electronic key 3 by using anidentifier unique to the key such that a predetermined vehicle operation(locking or unlocking of vehicle door, start of engine, or like) isrealized without a mechanical key operation. In the smart entry system,wireless communication for the authentication, which is performed byusing the identifier, is performed as follows.

First, the vehicle control device 10 or the vehicle control device 20intermittently transmits a radio signal (hereinafter, referred to as“Wake signal”) for searching for the electronic key 3 to the vicinity ofthe vehicle (hashed portion in FIG. 1) at predetermined intervals byusing an antenna (not shown) built into the vehicle device 30 (pollingcontrol). When the electronic key 3 receives the Wake signal, theelectronic key 3 transmits an acknowledge signal (ACK signal), which isan affirmative response, to the vehicle 2 in response to the Wakesignal.

Next, when the vehicle 2 receives the ACK signal with respect to theWake signal, the vehicle control device 10 or the vehicle control device20 determines that an electronic key is present in the vicinity of thevehicle. The vehicle control device 10 or the vehicle control device 20transmits a radio signal (hereinafter, referred to as “command signal”)for inquiring whether the electronic key is an electronic key(electronic key assigned based on the manufacturer, kind of vehicle,year of production, or the like) that corresponds to the vehicle 2 ornot to the vicinity of the vehicle by using the antenna built into thevehicle device 30. When the electronic key 3 corresponding to thevehicle 2 receives the command signal, the electronic key 3 transmitsthe ACK signal, which is an affirmative response, to the vehicle 2 inresponse to the command signal.

Furthermore, when the vehicle 2 receives the ACK signal with respect tothe command signal, the vehicle control device 10 or the vehicle controldevice 20 determines that the electronic key 3 corresponding to thevehicle 2 is present in the vicinity of the vehicle. The vehicle controldevice 10 or the vehicle control device 20 transmits a radio signal(hereinafter, referred to “challenge signal”) for authenticating theelectronic key 3 as an authorized electronic key (electronic key that isregistered in vehicle 2 in advance) to the vicinity of the vehicle byusing the antenna built into the vehicle device 30. When the electronickey 3 corresponding to the vehicle 2 receives the challenge signal, theelectronic key 3 transmits a response signal to the vehicle 2 inresponse to the challenge signal, the response signal includingidentification information unique to the key.

When the vehicle 2 receives the response signal from the electronic key3, the vehicle control device 10 or the vehicle control device 20collates the identification information included in the response signalwith identification information that is registered in the vehicle 2 inadvance. When the collation is succeeded, the electronic key 3transmitting the response signal in response to the challenge signal isauthenticated as an authorized electronic key. The user carrying theauthenticated electronic key 3 can perform a vehicle operation through atouch sensor or the like (not shown) installed in the vehicle device 30.The above-described wireless communication using the Wake signal, thecommand signal, and the challenge signal is continued even after theelectronic key 3 is authenticated.

Hereinafter, communication control that is performed between the vehiclecontrol device 10 or the vehicle control device 20 and the vehicledevice 30 in the vehicle system 1 in which the wireless communicationusing the Wake signal, the command signal, and the challenge signal isperformed will be described. The wireless communication using the Wakesignal, the command signal, and the challenge signal is merely anexample and the electronic key 3 may be authenticated via a wirelesscommunication method using another signal or another transmissionprocedure.

First Embodiment

FIG. 2 is a diagram for schematically describing the configurations ofthe vehicle control device 10 and the vehicle device 30 according to afirst embodiment. The vehicle control device 10 and the vehicle device30 are connected to each other via a wire 40.

Configuration of Vehicle Control Device

The vehicle control device 10 according to the first embodiment, whichis illustrated on the left side in FIG. 2, is provided with an antennadriving unit 11, a sensor detection signal determination unit 12, and acontroller 13.

The antenna driving unit 11 can generate a drive signal for driving anantenna 31 of the vehicle device 30, which will be described later,based on an instruction from the controller 13. The drive signal is, forexample, an alternating current voltage. The antenna driving unit 11transmits the generated drive signal to the antenna 31 of the vehicledevice 30 via the wire 40.

The antenna driving unit 11 according to the first embodiment generatesand transmits three kinds of drive signals. The three kinds of drivesignals are a drive signal (hereinafter, referred to as “first drivesignal”) for transmission of the Wake signal from the antenna 31, adrive signal (hereinafter, referred to as “second drive signal”) fortransmission of the command signal, and a drive signal (hereinafter,referred to as “third drive signal”) for transmission of the challengesignal.

The sensor detection signal determination unit 12 can perform adetermination process of determining the vehicle operation correspondingto a detection signal while receiving the detection signal from a sensordetection unit 32 of the vehicle device 30 (which will be describedlater) via the wire 40. Specifically, in a case where the detectionsignal is transmitted in the form of codes, the sensor detection signaldetermination unit 12 analyzes all codes in the detection signal todetermine a vehicle operation indicated by the codes, that is, thevehicle operation corresponding to the detection signal. An electroniccontrol unit (not shown) or the like corresponding to the determinedvehicle operation is appropriately notified of the determined vehicleoperation.

The controller 13 manages the timing of transmission of the drive signalwhich is performed by the antenna driving unit 11. The controller 13 candetermine whether a determination process of determining the vehicleoperation corresponding to the detection signal is being performed bythe sensor detection signal determination unit 12. The controller 13 cancontrol the timing of transmission of the drive signal which isperformed by the antenna driving unit 11 in accordance with adetermination that the determination process is being performed by thesensor detection signal determination unit 12. The contents of theabove-described control will be described later.

Typically, all or a portion of the antenna driving unit 11, the sensordetection signal determination unit 12, and the controller 13 can beconfigured as an electronic control unit (ECU) including a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a memory, an input and output interface, and thelike. In the electronic control unit, a predetermined function isrealized when the CPU reads and executes a predetermined program storedin the memory.

Configuration of Vehicle Device

The vehicle device 30 illustrated on the right side in FIG. 2 isprovided with the antenna 31 and the sensor detection unit 32. In thefirst embodiment, an example in which the vehicle device 30 is installedin a door handle (not shown) is described. However, the vehicle device30 may be installed in a place other than the door handle.

The antenna 31 can transmit a predetermined signal via a radio wavehaving a predetermined frequency by receiving the drive signal from theantenna driving unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 via the wire40. In the first embodiment, the predetermined signal is theabove-described Wake signal, the command signal, or the challengesignal. The predetermined frequency may be a low frequency (LF). Theantenna 31 can be configured with, for example, an LC resonant circuitobtained by connecting an inductor and a capacitor to each other inseries and an LF radio wave can be transmitted when an alternatingcurrent voltage as the drive signal is applied to the opposite ends ofthe LC resonant circuit.

The sensor detection unit 32 can detect a user operation performed withrespect to the vehicle device 30 and can transmit a detection signalcorresponding to the detected user operation to the vehicle controldevice 10 via the wire 40. The sensor detection unit 32 includes asensor 33 and a processor 34.

The sensor 33 is installed in the outermost layer of the door handle andthe sensor 33 can detect a user operation performed by the user or thelike. As the sensor 33, for example, a touch switch that detects achange in static capacitance which occurs due to contact with a fingeror the like of a person (contact with human body), a button switch thatdetects point contact by means of a pressure, or the like can be used.

Typically, in the door handle, a sensor that detects a user operation(hereinafter, referred to as “locking operation”) of locking a vehicledoor and a sensor that detects a user operation (hereinafter, referredto as “unlocking operation”) of unlocking the vehicle door are providedas the sensor 33.

The processor 34 can determine an operation performed by the user or thelike based on the result of sensor detection which is performed when afinger of a person comes into contact or the like with the sensor 33 andthe processor 34 can generate a detection signal according to thedetermination. For example, in a case where the processor 34 determinesthat the locking operation is performed based on detection performed bythe sensor 33, the processor 34 generates a detection signal indicatingthe locking operation. In a case where the processor 34 determines thatthe unlocking operation is performed based on detection performed by thesensor 33, the processor 34 generates a detection signal indicating theunlocking operation. The detection signal can be generated using, forexample, a start bit indicating the start of the signal and a codehaving a predetermined length which is a combination of high and lowlevels specifying a vehicle operation. The start bit is not essential.

The processor 34 transmits the detection signal which is generated basedon the result of the detection performed by the sensor 33 to the sensordetection signal determination unit 12 of the vehicle control device 10via the wire 40. While a user operation is being detected by the sensor33, a code specifying the vehicle operation corresponding to the useroperation is intermittently and repeatedly transmitted. At this time,the processor 34 can determine whether the antenna 31 is transmitting aradio signal after receiving the drive signal from the antenna drivingunit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 and the processor 34 cantransmit the detection signal within a predetermined period in which theantenna 31 does not transmit the radio signal.

A power source (direct current voltage) for operating the sensordetection unit 32 may be supplied by the vehicle device 30, may besupplied from the vehicle control device 10 through the wire 40, and maybe supplied from a power supply device (not shown) or the like through awire other than the wire 40.

Communication Control Performed by Vehicle Control Device

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for describing the procedure of communicationcontrol performed by the vehicle control device 10 according to thefirst embodiment.

In a process of step S301, the controller 13 of the vehicle controldevice 10 determines whether the timing of transmission of the drivesignal which is performed by the antenna driving unit 11 has beenreached or not. When the controller 13 determines that the timing oftransmission of the drive signal has been reached (S301, Yes), theprocess proceeds to step S302. Meanwhile, in a case where the controller13 determines that the timing of transmission of the drive signal hasnot been reached (S301, No), the determination in step S301 iscontinuously performed until the timing of transmission of the drivesignal is reached.

In a process of step S302, the controller 13 of the vehicle controldevice 10 determines whether the determination process of determiningthe vehicle operation corresponding to the detection signal receivedfrom the vehicle device 30 is being performed by the sensor detectionsignal determination unit 12. In a case where the controller 13determines that the process of determining the vehicle operation isbeing performed by the sensor detection signal determination unit 12(S302, Yes), the process proceeds to step S303. Meanwhile, in a casewhere the controller 13 determines that the determination process ofdetermining the vehicle operation is not being performed by the sensordetection signal determination unit 12 (S302, No), the process proceedsto step S304.

In a process of step S303, the controller 13 of the vehicle controldevice 10 determines whether the determination process of determiningthe vehicle operation corresponding to the detection signal, which isperformed by the sensor detection signal determination unit 12, has beenfinished. In a case where the controller 13 determines that thedetermination process of determining the vehicle operation has beenfinished (S303, Yes), the process proceeds to step S304. Meanwhile, in acase where the controller 13 determines that the determination processof determining the vehicle operation has not been finished, the processreturns to step S303 and the controller 13 waits for the determinationprocess of determining the vehicle operation to be finished. Here, theexpression “a time point at which the determination process ofdetermining the vehicle operation is finished” may mean a time point atwhich a series of determination processes performed by the sensordetection signal determination unit 12 is finished, a time point atwhich the determined vehicle operation is confirmed, or a time point atwhich the sensor detection unit 32 finishes reception of the detectionsignal.

In a process of step S304, the antenna driving unit 11 of the vehiclecontrol device 10 transmits the drive signal to the antenna 31 of thevehicle device 30 via the wire 40. When the drive signal is transmitted,the process proceeds to step S305.

In a process of step S305, determination is made on whether apredetermined event, which results in the necessity of finishing thecommunication control performed by the vehicle control device 10, hasoccurred. Examples of the predetermined event include a case where thevehicle is not used for a long period of time and enters a power savingmode. In a case where the determination is made that the predeterminedevent has occurred, the flow process is terminated. Meanwhile, in a casewhere the determination is made that the predetermined event has notoccurred, the process returns to step S301 and the controller 13 waitsfor the timing of transmission of the drive signal.

A process in the above-described communication control will be describedusing timing charts in FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIGS. 4A and 4B are timingcharts for describing communication control (FIG. 4B) performed in thevehicle system 1 configured to include the vehicle control device 10according to the first embodiment while comparing the communicationcontrol performed in the vehicle system 1 with communication control(FIG. 4A) performed in a vehicle system in the related art.

In FIGS. 4A and 4B, a case where a process of transmitting the commandsignal from the antenna 31 takes place during a period for which thedetection signal is transmitted from the sensor detection unit 32 basedon the user operation (unlocking operation) is used as an example. In acase where a process of transmitting the Wake signal or the challengesignal takes place, the same control is performed.

In the communication control in the related art which is illustrated inFIG. 4A, in a case where the process of transmitting the command signaltakes place during transmission of the detection signal, transmission ofthe second drive signal from the antenna driving unit 11 is givenpriority and transmission of the detection signal from the sensordetection unit 32 is terminated in the middle of the transmission (xmark in FIG. 4A). Therefore, the sensor detection signal determinationunit 12 cannot receive the entire unlocking code that is included in thedetection signal and that specifies the unlocking operation, thedetermination process of determining the vehicle operation in the sensordetection signal determination unit 12 is interrupted, and thus thevehicle operation cannot be determined (unlocking is not confirmed).

After transmission of the command signal is terminated, the sensordetection unit 32 transmits the detection signal again in a case wherethe user operation is detected (door handle is touched). However, theprocess of transmitting the challenge signal takes place and the thirddrive signal is transmitted in the middle of re-transmission of thedetection signal as well, and thus transmission of the detection signalfrom the sensor detection unit 32 is terminated in the middle of thetransmission. Therefore, the sensor detection signal determination unit12 cannot receive the entire unlocking code even at the time of there-transmission, and thus the vehicle operation cannot be determined(unlocking is not confirmed).

After transmission of the challenge signal is terminated, the sensordetection unit 32 transmits the detection signal once more in a casewhere the user operation is still detected. During a period in which thedetection signal is transmitted once more, transmission of a signal doesnot take place and the drive signal is not transmitted. Therefore, thesensor detection signal determination unit 12 can receive the entireunlocking code, and thus the determination process of determining thevehicle operation can be finished (unlocking is confirmed).

As described above, in the case of the communication control in therelated art, a period of time between when the unlocking operation isperformed first and when the vehicle door is actually unlocked is longand a response to operation input performed by the user is delayed.

However, in the communication control according to the first embodimentthat is illustrated in FIG. 4B, in a case where the process oftransmitting the command signal takes place in the middle oftransmission of the detection signal, transmission of the second drivesignal from the antenna driving unit 11 is temporarily stopped andreception of the detection signal from the sensor detection unit 32 isgiven priority. The transmission of the second drive signal is performedafter the sensor detection signal determination unit 12 receives theentire unlocking code and the determination process of determining thevehicle operation is finished (unlocking is confirmed).

As described above, in the case of the communication control accordingto the first embodiment, the vehicle door is immediately unlocked inresponse to the unlocking operation being performed first. Therefore, itis possible to avoid a response to the operation input performed by theuser being delayed.

Operation and Effect

As described above, in the vehicle control device 10 according to thefirst embodiment, determination is made on whether the determinationprocess of determining the vehicle operation corresponding to thedetection signal received from the vehicle device 30 is being performedby the sensor detection signal determination unit 12 each time thetiming of transmission of the drive signal from the antenna driving unit11 to the vehicle device 30 is reached. In the vehicle control device10, in a case where the determination is made that the determinationprocess of determining the vehicle operation is being performed,transmission of the drive signal from the antenna driving unit 11 to thevehicle device 30 is performed after the determination process in thesensor detection signal determination unit 12 is finished in order toavoid collision between reception of the detection signal from thesensor detection unit 32 and transmission of the drive signal to theantenna 31.

With the above-described control, reception of the detection signal inthe sensor detection signal determination unit 12 is given priority evenwhen the timing of transmission of the drive signal from the antennadriving unit 11 to the vehicle device 30 is reached while thedetermination process of determining the vehicle operation correspondingto the detection signal is being performed by the sensor detectionsignal determination unit 12. Therefore, the sensor detection signaldetermination unit 12 can reliably determine the vehicle operationcorresponding to the detection signal. Accordingly, it is possible tosuppress a period of time between when a user operation is performed andwhen a vehicle operation corresponding to the user operation isperformed being lengthened in a device configuration in whichtransmission of the drive signal and reception of the detection signalare performed via the same wire.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 5 is a diagram for schematically describing the configurations ofthe vehicle control device 20 and the vehicle device 30 according to asecond embodiment. The vehicle control device 20 and the vehicle device30 are connected to each other via the wire 40. The configuration of acontroller 23 in the vehicle control device 20 in the second embodimentis different from that in the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter,the description will be made focusing on the configuration of thecontroller 23 and the other components are given the same referencenumerals as in the first embodiment and will not be described.

Configuration of Vehicle Control Device

The vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment, whichis illustrated on the left side in FIG. 5, is provided with the antennadriving unit 11, the sensor detection signal determination unit 12, andthe controller 23.

The antenna driving unit 11 can generate a plurality of kinds of drivesignals for driving the antenna 31 of the vehicle device 30 based on aninstruction from the controller 23. In the second embodiment, threedrive signals are generated. The three drive signals are a first drivesignal, a second drive signal, and a third drive signal. The antennadriving unit 11 transmits the generated drive signals to the antenna 31of the vehicle device 30 through the wire 40 according to apredetermined procedure. In the second embodiment, the predeterminedprocedure is a procedure in which the second drive signal is transmittedafter the first drive signal is transmitted, the third drive signal istransmitted after the second drive signal is transmitted, and the firstdrive signal is transmitted after the third drive signal is transmitted.

The controller 23 manages the timing of transmission of the drivesignals that is performed by the antenna driving unit 11. Specifically,the controller 23 controls the antenna driving unit 11 such that two ormore kinds of drive signals among the above-described drive signals aretransmitted with a time interval provided between transmission of adrive signal that is transmitted immediately before the two or morekinds of drive signals are transmitted and transmission of the two ormore kinds of drive signals, the time interval being equal to or longerthan time T that is needed for the sensor detection signal determinationunit 12 to finish the determination process.

For example, in a case where the two or more kinds of drive signals(hereinafter, referred to as “target to be controlled”) are the seconddrive signal (command signal) and the third drive signal (challengesignal), the controller 23 can control the antenna driving unit 11 suchthat a time interval between transmission of the first drive signal(Wake signal) that is transmitted immediately before the second drivesignal is transmitted and transmission of the second drive signal and atime interval between transmission of the second drive signal that istransmitted immediately before the third drive signal is transmitted andtransmission of the third drive signal become equal to or longer thantime T described above at all times. In a case where the target to becontrolled is the first drive signal, the antenna driving unit 11 iscontrolled such that a time interval between transmission of the thirddrive signal and transmission of the first drive signal becomes equal toor longer than time T described above.

The Wake signal functions as a polling signal and is considered to beset to be periodically transmitted at sufficient time intervals inadvance. Therefore, there may be a case where the antenna driving unit11 may not be controlled such that a time interval between transmissionof the third drive signal and transmission of the first drive signalbecomes equal to or longer than time T. In this case, when the seconddrive signal (command signal) and the third drive signal are set as thetargets to be controlled, all of the drive signals are transmitted attime intervals equal to or longer than time T described above.

A process in the above-described communication control will be describedby using a timing chart in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a timing chart fordescribing communication control performed in the vehicle system 1configured to include the vehicle control device 20 according to thesecond embodiment.

In FIG. 6, a time interval between transmission of the command signaland transmission of the challenge signal, that is, a time intervalbetween transmission of the second drive signal and transmission of thethird drive signal is equal to or longer than time T. Therefore, in aperiod of re-transmission of the detection signal of which transmissionis terminated in the middle of the first transmission due to the processof transmitting the command signal, the process of transmitting thechallenge signal does not take place. Accordingly, the sensor detectionsignal determination unit 12 can receive the entire unlocking code, andthus the determination process of determining the vehicle operation canbe finished (unlocking is confirmed).

As described above, in the case of the communication control accordingto the second embodiment, even in a case where transmission of thedetection signal that is transmitted first in accordance with theunlocking operation being performed is terminated in the middle of thetransmission, the transmission is certainly finished in there-transmission and the vehicle door is unlocked. Therefore, it ispossible to minimize a time by which a response to operation inputperformed by the user is delayed.

Operation and Effect

As described above, in the vehicle control device 20 according to thesecond embodiment, the antenna driving unit is controlled such that twoor more kinds of drive signals (for example, command signal andchallenge signal) among a plurality of kinds of drive signals (forexample, Wake signal, command signal, and challenge signal) aretransmitted with a time interval provided between transmission of adrive signal that is transmitted immediately before the two or morekinds of drive signals are transmitted and transmission of the two ormore kinds of drive signals, the time interval being equal to or longerthan time T that is needed for the sensor detection signal determinationunit 12 to finish the determination process of determining the vehicleoperation.

With the above-described control, a time interval between transmissionof one drive signal and transmission of the next drive signal can be setto be equal to or longer than time T that is needed for the sensordetection signal determination unit 12 to finish the determinationprocess of determining the vehicle operation corresponding to thedetection signal received by the sensor detection signal determinationunit 12. Accordingly, even in a case where reception of the firstdetection signal is interrupted and fails since the reception overlapswith transmission of the drive signal, the reception of the detectionsignal is certainly succeeded due to the re-transmission. Therefore, thesensor detection signal determination unit 12 can finish thedetermination process of determining the vehicle operation by properlyreceiving the detection signal (by receiving entire code) at leastduring the re-transmission. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress aperiod of time between when a user operation is performed and when avehicle operation corresponding to the user operation is performed beinglengthened in a device configuration in which transmission of the drivesignal and reception of the detection signal are performed via the samewire.

The aspect of the disclosure can be used for a vehicle system or thelike in which a vehicle is controlled through wireless communicationbetween an in-vehicle device and an electronic key and is useful in acase where it is desired to suppress a time period between whendetection is performed by a sensor and when a vehicle operation isperformed being lengthened.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle control device connected to a vehicledevice that includes an antenna and a sensor detection unit configuredto detect a user operation, the vehicle control device being configuredto perform transmission of a drive signal for driving the antenna andreception of a detection signal output from the sensor detection unit bya common wire, the vehicle control device comprising: an electroniccontrol unit including: an antenna driving unit configured to controlthe antenna to transmit a radio signal by transmitting the drive signalto the vehicle device; a sensor detection signal determination unitconfigured to perform a determination process of determining a vehicleoperation corresponding to a detection signal received from the vehicledevice; and a controller configured to: determine whether thedetermination process is being performed by the sensor detection signaldetermination unit when the antenna driving unit transmits the drivesignal, control the antenna driving unit to transmit the drive signalupon determining that the determination process is not being performedby the sensor detection signal determination unit, and control theantenna driving unit to transmit the drive signal after the sensordetection signal determination unit finishes the determination processupon determining that the determination process is being performed bythe sensor detection signal determination unit.
 2. The vehicle controldevice according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured totemporarily stop the antenna driving unit to transmit the drive signalfor performing the determination process and to give priority toreception of the detection signal from the sensor detection unit, when aprocess of transmitting the drive signal from the antenna driving unittakes place while the controller receives the detection signal from thesensor detection unit.
 3. The vehicle control device according to claim1, wherein the sensor detection signal determination unit is configuredto receive, as the detection signal, a signal that is output when asensor is touched by a finger of a person.
 4. The vehicle control deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the sensor detection signal determinationunit is configured to receive, as the detection signal, a signalcorresponding to a vehicle door locking operation and an unlockingoperation.
 5. A vehicle control device connected to a vehicle devicethat includes an antenna and a sensor detection unit configured todetect a user operation, the vehicle control device being configured toperform transmission of a plurality of kinds of drive signals fordriving the antenna and reception of a detection signal output from thesensor detection unit by using a common wire, the vehicle control devicecomprising: an electronic control unit including: an antenna drivingunit configured to control the antenna to transmit a radio signal bytransmitting the plurality of kinds of drive signals to the vehicledevice according to a predetermined procedure; a sensor detection signaldetermination unit configured to perform a determination process ofdetermining a vehicle operation corresponding to a detection signalreceived from the vehicle device; and a controller configured to controlthe antenna driving unit such that at least two kinds of drive signalsof the plurality of drive signals are transmitted with a time intervalprovided between (i) a transmission of a drive signal that istransmitted immediately before the at least two kinds of drive signalsof the plurality of drive signals and (ii) a transmission of the atleast two kinds of drive signals, the time interval being equal to orgreater than a time that is required for the sensor detection signaldetermination unit to finish the determination process.
 6. The vehiclecontrol device according to claim 5, wherein: the plurality of kinds ofdrive signals includes (i) a first drive signal for a transmission of afirst radio signal from the antenna, (ii) a second drive signal for atransmission of a second radio signal from the antenna after a receptionof an affirmative response of the first radio signal, and (iii) a thirddrive signal for a transmission of a third radio signal from the antennaafter a reception of an affirmative response of the second radio signal;and the controller is configured to control the antenna driving unitsuch that a first time interval between the transmission of the firstdrive signal and the transmission of the second drive signal and asecond time interval between the transmission of the second drive signaland the transmission of the third drive signal become equal to orgreater than a time that is required for the sensor detection signaldetermination unit to finish the determination process.
 7. The vehiclecontrol device according to claim 5, wherein the sensor detection signaldetermination unit is configured to receive, as the detection signal, asignal that is output when a sensor is touched by a finger of a person.8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the sensordetection signal determination unit is configured to receive, as thedetection signal, a signal corresponding to a vehicle door lockingoperation and an unlocking operation.